Wet shaving: How do I check if I am doing it correctly?

If you wet shave you know that it should give you the closest shave possible, and it should help to reduce some of the uncomfortable effects of shaving, such as redskin and ingrown hairs. But how can you know if you are doing it the right way? Maybe there is a better technique?

Wet shaving: How do I check if I am doing it correctly?

You can check if you are doing your wet shave correctly by comparing it to the following steps:

• Step 1: Prepare before a wet shave, use the right tools
• Step 2: Wet your face fully
• Step 3: Apply a good quality pre-shave oil
• Step 4: Prepare the lather
• Step 5: Put on your lather
• Step 6: Re-lather for each pass
• Step 7: Rinse your face
• Step 8: Put on your aftershave
• Step 9: Dry your face
• Step 10: Store away all your things

Step by step guide:

● Step 1: Preparations before a wet shave

You must never wet shave in a hurry. You must always set aside enough time to wet shave correctly. You must understand that the process of wet shaving is not a race through rush hour.

If you are trying to lather up by swiping your shaving brush at a lightning speed within 5 seconds, it may serve no purpose. In fact, this claim is a marketing ruse or tactic that can sell people the benefits of saving time over a good experience or the desired result. If you give enough time to your wet shave, you will be able to enjoy, relax and relieve your stress.

There are no speed shaving competitions on earth, so you don’t need to get ready for one. Calm down, be patient and you will see the difference between a great wet shave and a bad one, right before your eyes. You must never skip any of the preparation steps.

– Preparation 1: Get a good quality razor:

There are two types of razors:

1. Safety double edge razor: A safety double edge razor is easy to use and good for beginners. You must insert a new blade before each wet shave for hygienic reasons.
2. Straight-edge razor: A straight edge razor is good for experts or professionals. Straight edge razors are expensive and they need a lot of attention and care such as sharpening, honing and stropping the blade.

– Preparation 2: Get a good quality shaving brush:

A good quality shaving brush will lift your hair and exfoliate your skin to remove the dead skin cells. It will create a thicker, creamier, and smooth lather There are four kinds of shaving brush:

1. Boar brush:

The boar shaving brush does not absorb water at all. You must soak it in hot water before your wet shave. It is cheaper than other kinds of shaving brushes.

The best quality boar shaving brush will begin to bloom with split ends and break-in overtime. The stiffness of its bristles will lessen and you will get a really attractive and soft lather. But the bristles of a cheap boar shaving brush will remain stiff and refuse to break-in due to the pre-cutting tips to take a shape.

2. Badger brush:

The badger shaving brush is the best option for a close wet shave. It is made up of 100% natural hair of a badger. Its cost varies according to the gradient of the badger’s hair.

The pure badger shaving brush is sold at four times the cost of a boar shaving brush. It has superior knot density, phenomenal water retention, and soft tips. It is soft for face lathering and firm for soaps.

3. Horse brush:

A horse shaving brush is made up of 100% natural hair of a horse’s mane. It is easy to use for beginners. It is generally cheap.

4. Synthetic brush:

If you are allergic to animal hair, or if you are a vegetarian, then the synthetic shaving brush is the best option for you. It is one of the cheapest kind of shaving brush. It is an imitation of badger hair and has stiff nylon bristles or fibers.

– Preparation 3: Get a good quality shaving cream

You must remember that shaving foam or shaving gel is not ideal for wet shaving. You should use glycerine-based shaving cream instead of alcohol-based shaving cream to prevent the razor burns and rash. Alcohol-based shaving cream will make your facial skin completely dry.

– Preparation 4: Soak the shaving brush

You must soak your shaving brush either in a small cup full of hot water or a sink full of hot water. If you are using a shaving gel, then you must soak it in a sink full of hot water before starting your wet shave. Soaking the shaving brush ahead of time in hot water will soften its bristles and ease the process of building up a perfect lather.

– Note:

You must never try to skip any of these 4 necessary preparation steps, as a short cut will not give you the desired results.

● Step 2: Wet your face fully

Take a hot shower or wash your face and neck with warm water and wrap a hot wet towel around your face and neck for a few minutes. This will soften your hair follicle, and make the wet shave a lot more comfortable and easy.

● Step 3: Apply a good quality pre-shave oil

Organic coconut oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil are the best pre-shave oils. They are antiseptic and lubricants for your razor. Apply a few drops on your beard and neck, to moisturize and soften your hair.

By good quality, I don’t mean that you waste tons of money. If you are seeking the ultimate collection of the best shaving products on earth, you will discover to your surprise that you are chasing the impossible. There is nothing wrong with wanting to acquire the best, but you must not switch your shaving products on a daily basis.

You cannot over expect with overly high hopes, as men who are learning how to wet shave, you shouldn’t buy and try every shaving product under the sun. The only fact that you must learn is that it takes patience, practice, and technique to master your wet shave, not the products. You must stick to what you have bought until you realize what works and what does not, instead of rolling the dice over to other products.

You will add to a bunch of variables that can make your wet shave more confusing and complex than it needs to be. As long as your wallet is full, you can always buy uncountable shaving products from online stores, should you need to, BUT you can never reverse the dreadful results and effects of a bad wet shave.

● Step 4: Prepare the lather

Good shaving cream offers superior lubrication, minimal swelling and special care to your sensitive skin. If you have acne, then you must ask your dermatologist about the appropriate shaving cream. You will notice that good shaving creams are different in the manner of how it works due to the presence of the water-activated molecules in them.

Take your shaving brush out of the hot water, and wait for a couple of seconds until it has stopped dripping. Swirl your shaving brush gently into the shaving cream until it is fully coated. You must remember that shaving creams require less water than shaving soaps. 

Just one almond-sized squeeze of the tube is enough for one wet shave. The best shaving creams will give you 90 wet shaves and last for 3 months. Use circular movements to make an opaque lather.

Before using a new shaving cream, you must give your shaving brush a few shakes, 4 to 5 are enough. With your shaving brush in your hand, you must wipe a nurdle, an almond-sized dollop of your shaving cream, on it. Then grab your bowl and whip around the lather for at least 30 to 50 seconds.

Before you add any water, stop and take a moment to feel the lather between your thumb and index finger. Feel the texture and examine the appearance carefully. Now start adding the water to your shaving cream, only half a teaspoon at a time.

Once you have finished whipping the lather around, take a moment to stop and feel the texture. You must continue until your lather is oversaturated. You can stop when your lather becomes thin, too weak to support itself and you can see big bubbles in it.

You will understand how much water to use with your shaving cream after some practice. After 4 to 5 bowls, you will probably know how to acquire that perfect lather easily. Some men have a misconception that a perfect lather looks like clouds, but the appearance and texture of your lather will look different according to the quality and quantity of your shaving cream.

● Step 5: Put on your lather

The application of the lather on your beard will vary according to the stiffness or softness of the bristles of your shaving brush. You must remember that a shaving brush with stiff bristles is best for the application in circular motions, while the shaving brushes that have soft bristles are good at applying the lather with painting strokes. You must apply a lot of lather, much more than necessary, as it helps your beard hair in staying in an upright position.

You must rinse your razor after each stroke to make the stroke sharper and to keep your blade neat and tidy.

● Step 6: Re-lather for each pass

After you have finished your first pass, you must rinse your face and neck with warm water. The second pass will be from the South to the North or from downwards to upwards. For the second pass, you must patiently apply your pre-shave oil and then re-lather up.

Don’t skip any of these steps otherwise, the horrible razor burns, cuts, nicks, and irritation become simply unavoidable.

● Step 7: Rinse your face

After your wet shave is over, you’ll want to close your pores, so rinse your face and neck with cold water.

● Step 8: Put on your aftershave

The aftershave will add a layer of protection to your freshly shaven skin cells. You must never use an alcohol-based aftershave because it secretes the oils out of your skin making it dry. It leads to ingrown hair and a burning sensation. 

● Step 9: Dry your face

Pick up a clean towel and pat your face gently rather than rubbing it as this can cause skin irritation.

● Step 10: Store away all your things

You must always store your razors in a dry place, like a closed wardrobe, instead of a steamy shower room to prevent rust and growth of mildew. You must always store your shaving brush handle down and bristles upwards to let it air dry.

Techniques:

1. Reduce pressure:

When you are wet shaving, you must apply incredibly light pressure. Allow your razor’s weight do all of the heavy lifting for you.

2. Listen carefully to your razor:

Most men think that a good wet shave is impossible without looking into a clear anti-fog mirror. They don’t know that they can tell a great deal about their wet shave simply by paying attention and listening to their razor carefully. So, close the tap to shut down the flowing water, turn off the exhaust fan, turn off the music or hang up a video or voice call.  In complete silence, take your time to listen to your razor when it glides into each of your whiskers.

This way, you will learn to recognize the slight variation in the sound of your razor with every single stroke. You will be able to tell the angle of your razor is out of its proper place. With time, it will become your instinct to alter the angle as soon as that sound clicks into your ears.

3. Replace your blade:

You must replace your blades long before they need a replacement. Replace every 3 to 5 shaves. Double edge razor blades are too cheap to drain your wallet.

If you show laziness here and keep using the same old blades you will regret it. To extend the lifetime of a blade, hand stropping is helpful. You must stroke only 8 times, strop 4 times on each side. 

4. Amount and temperature of the water:

Less water is the best way to wet shave unless you are a master at it. After wetting your shaving brush, squeeze the knot to remove the excess water. You must always use your fingertips to add the droplets of water, as you can always add more water to a dry lather but cannot remove excess water from a wet lather.

Hard water is the biggest obstacle to acquire the perfect lather, use water softeners to get the best shave. Shaving cream will fall apart if you add hot water to it. If you add hot water, the lather will evaporate from your bowl and face.

Tricks:

1. Stretch your skin like the Romans:

Pour a few droplets of water on your alum block or styptic pencil. When you will apply it on your face, your skin will stretch making your appearance more rejuvenated. Any burns, bumps, cuts, rash, nicks, or irritation will disappear.

Potassium Alum Deodrant is the best option as it will not leave any stinging sensation.

2. Angle:

Below your nostrils, take your razor east to west, and west to east into the midpoint.

TIP: Cleanliness and sterilization:

The dirt, dust, hair debris, and grease on your razor is not visible to your naked eye. So you must sterilize and sanitize the razors, before every wet shave to kill the microbes, to prevent deadly infections and diseases like Hepatitis. Skin irritation is caused by a contaminated razor.

If you are wet shaving at a barbershop, make sure all the tools are 100% clean and safe, as they are the best means of spreading communicable viruses from customer to customer.

Frequently Asked Question (FAQ):

1. What is the top-rated, best-seller anti-aging night face cream for men available?

The top-rated, best-seller Brickell Men’s Advanced Anti-Aging Routine, Night Face Cream, Vitamin C Facial Serum and Eye Cream, Natural and Organic, Scented is available on Amazon.

This product has seventy-nine percent 5-star reviews from verified customers on Amazon. One of the verified customers says, “Best men’s facial product I have ever tried! This product is excellent and has shown incredible results just from the sample kit. I have since purchased the nighttime anti-aging package and will be ordering the daily moisturizer package.”

It has 100% certified vegan, natural and organic ingredients that contain zero percent gluten, synthetic fragrances, sulfates, PEG’s, silicones, petrochemicals, phthalates, glycols, and parabens. There are several different ingredients in it:

1. Vitamin C will repair the damaged skin, by the sunshine and prevent further damage.
2. Plant stem cells can prevent maturation, inflammation, and damage to your skin cells.
3. Protein peptides will boost the production of collagen and reduce your wrinkles by 45%.
4. Hyaluronic acid will supply antioxidants and moisture to your skin cells to reduce wrinkles.
5. Caffeine will circulate a lot of blood around your eyes to reduce puffiness and dark circles.
6. Eucalyptus essential oil is added for scent.
7. Lemongrass essential oil is added for fragrance.
8. Peppermint essential oil is also added for fragrance.
9. Aloe vera, DMAE, and MSM are also added to this night face cream for men.

Final remarks

To sum up, you can check if you are wet shaving correctly by following the above-given step by step guide, techniques, tips, and tricks, carefully.